Scars of a Crimson Moon
by Ice Vixen X
Summary: Hermione had thought she was doing the right thing. Thought it would be simple. Save a friend and return in time for dinner. She soon learned that things do not always go as planned. Now she struggles to retain her humanity and keep the beast at bay...
1. Broken Pieces

**Scars of a Crimson Moon**

_**Spoiler alert**_ for all books! just incase...

Rated **M** for violence

_This story is cannon up till HBP and will still share similar qualities after, though it is the summer before the trio's 6th year that this little fic deviates from it original path. Don't worry, you'll get the full picture of what happened as the story progresses._

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and all associated aspects of this story belong to JK Rowling and I make no profit from this fanfiction, merely enjoy the act of writing it.

* * *

**~ Chapter 1 - Broken Pieces ~**

_Piercing amber eyes seemed to glow out from the shadows before her. Her breath left her as she felt her lungs constricted with panic. She_ felt _the growl emanating from the creature deep within her chest. She couldn't move._

_In a blink of the eye, the mountain of fur and muscle was on her, pinning her down._

_Pain. _

_Blood and pain. _

_Claws sliced through her skin with pitiful ease. Her body was being tossed around like a rag doll. Blood, so much blood yet all she could focus on was the moon. It was so bright and luminescent in the dark night sky, so peaceful. Oh how she loathed that beautiful, peaceful, uncaring orb. Claws raised above her face and came crashing down..._

Hermione bolted up in bed, startled awake by the gruesome nightmare. Her thick curls clung to her damp skin and her breath came in short pants. 'Just a dream.' She thought to herself to calm down. She rubbed one hand over her face to clear her mind, but when her fingers met the groves of marred flesh she couldn't help the tears that leaked from her eyes in that moment.

Realizing that she was crying yet again, she rubbed her eyes fervently with the long sleeve of her hoodie. Hermione took deep steadying breaths and willed the rebellious tears to recede. It would have all been so much easier if she could only block out the overwhelming world around her. The scratch of the mice in the walls made her ears twitch, the strong smell of Molly's cooking that stung her nose, and of course the ever present sound of voices in the cluttered house. So many distractions to keep her from stilling her mind.

Before she even realized what she was doing, a growl of frustration tore through her throat. Hermione covered her mouth in horror and the tears once again escaped without her consent. The tears were now the farthest thing from her mind as held her own breath, listening for those distracting sounds in hope that her slip hadn't been as loud as she feared it was. Unfortunately, the minute the animalistic sound had escaped her the rest of the house all stopped with baited breaths. Even the mice seemed to stop their scurrying to wait out the apparent danger of a predator.

The curly haired teen grabbed her pillow and bit down on it harshly as soft whimpers escaped her. The rivulets of tears flowed with abandon, soaking the white material as she fought against the tingle in the back of her throat. She knew this feeling. She had allowed this particular emotion out before too... Sorrow. The feeling tickled the back of her throat, begging it to open wide and howl out her distress, but she refused to let out more of the wolf than had already slipped.

The activity below resumed slowly at first, but it wasn't long before the conversations and commotion began again, even if it was more subdued than before. The tears and tickle of her throat subsided and she found herself, once again, rubbing her tears into the abused grey cotton covering her arm. Hermione drug herself out of bed and stumbled to the door of her room. She wanted to splash some cool water over her face before she attempted any kind of outing to interact with the others.

The ill witch cracked her door open and peaked out to make sure no one was on the top floor with her. It was all clear, but she really shouldn't have expected any different. Other than meal times, they left her to her own musings for the most part. "To recover in peace" they had told her. She scoffed at that. They were afraid of her. They were afraid and it wasn't fair. Professor Lupin was a werewolf and everyone saw him for the kind and gentle man he was. Why should they fear her as the beast?

She knew the answer though. She had been bitten not so long ago and she was still melding with 'the wolf.' He had told her it would get easier to control after her first full moon, that in time she could suppress it entirely. While in her human form that is. The words were little comfort to her. She needed the control now. She couldn't take the looks they gave her. She just wanted it all over. Strike that, she just wish it had never happened.

A thought entered her mind as she slipped into the bathroom at the end of the small hall. 'Maybe if I act like nothing happened, like everything is ok, then it could be.' She thought with desperation as she turned the water on. 'I'll just go down their and ask for some of the stew thats brewing. She is overcooking it anyway.' Hermione thought and then she realized exactly what she had thought. She paused with her cupped hands raised halfway to her face, the cool water slipping through her fingers. She should not be able to tell that the meat was not as rare as she would have liked it just by the smell. She should not want their to be a stronger tang of iron in that scent. It was all just so wrong that the thought of the sweet metallic smell made her mouth water and that she was angry at the Weasley matron for ruining it.

Her wet hands gripped the sides of the porcelain sink and she concentrated on the cold, smooth feel of it beneath her fingers. She needed the distraction from her thoughts. She needed to think about something normal, something trivial. She needed to think about anything other than her affliction. The problem is that the harder you try not to think about something the more you think about it. Unconsciously she began to raise her eyes to the mirror before her, but just as she caught a glimpse of angry red scars near the edge of her chin she quickly averted her eyes.

Hermione filled her hands once again and splashed her face with a sense of urgency. 'I don't want to see. I don't want to _know_.' She quickly raked her hair over her face and pulled the grey hood as far forward as it would go. The zipper nearly snapped off as she violently zipped the front of her worn hoodie-jacket over the faded maroon T-shirt beneath. She left the bathroom in a hurry and carefully kept her eyes glued to the floor.

Her hurried steps halted at the edge of the stairs. 'I can do this.' She prepped herself and began to take a step down. That's when she heard it. The hushed conversation going on in the kitchen. She slowly sat herself down on the top step and hugged the banister. The absent thought of it being strange that she could pick out the softly spoken words from all the other noise floated threw her mind, but was quickly forgotten as she focused on what the voices were saying and who they belonged to.

At first she felt as if she might cry again, 'why did they have to tell him right when he got here?,' but it again turned to anger. Her teeth gnashed together and her jaw muscles were tense with strain. 'Why couldn't they have let me see him before he was told. Let me look at his face without the look of _knowing?'_ It was bad enough that Ron looked at her with _that look_ and even worse that his was one mixed with fear. He always was a git when it came to things outside of his comfort zone.

At this very minute him and his mother were informing the third member of her small pack, er, trio... yes their trio. 'Don't they know that I can hear them every time they talk about me?' She thought morosely, but her anger only rose. Hermione stood and quietly made her way down stairs. If they didn't know she could hear them from far away then she would make them think twice about whether she was hold up in her room or just around the corner. Make them think twice about speaking of her and her condition.

* * *

Harry had arrived at the Burrow with relief. He thought that he would be received with warmth and welcome as usual, so when he had been immediately pulled into the kitchen by Ron and his mother he had been obviously confused. When they began explaining to him exactly what the hush hush was all about he felt his stomach drop before it quickly rose up again, threatening to spill its contents at the feet of the two redheads in front of him.

It couldn't be possible. They had been through so much together and had come out just fine, stronger even. But this... this was so beyond anything he could have imagined walking into that it threw his mind for a loop. He was in a daze and barely comprehended anything beyond the words 'Hermione has been infected by a werewolf bite.' They were explaining that she was different or in Ron's words, scary, but he was to shocked to concentrate on the details. He slowly sank down in the nearby wooden chair trying to wrap his mind around it.

A noise by the doorway caught his attention and it took him a moment to realize who it was that stood there in his daze. The figure had messy brown hair hanging in her face and a grey hood shadowing it to further obstruct his view. She was facing him directly and for a moment they just stared at one another. Suddenly it clicked and his eyes widened in surprise. "Hermione?" He called out hesitantly as he slowly stood from his seat. 'I barely recognized her.'

"Hermione!" The two present purebloods called out in surprise and, much to Harry's surprise, fear.

As Harry turned a look of disbelief on them he saw Hermione rush away from the doorframe. Forgetting the others he called out to her pleadingly. "Hermione wait!" He yelled as he rushed after her. He rounded the corner in time to see the front door slam shut.

It was then that his other best friend pulled him back into the kitchen. "Harry wait! Don't go after her." He begged.

"What?" He asked in confusion. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"Harry Potter! Watch your mouth." Scolded Molly, but her voice softened with the next thing she said. "Harry dear, Ron's right. Hermione, well, Hermione's not been herself since..."

"She's not been right in the head mate." Ron said as his mother's voice trailed off.

Harry's eyes lowered into a dangerous glare. "How dare you talk about her that way." He said darkly. "She's our _friend._ How could you say that?"

"Well, it's true!" Ron defended.

"What Ron means," interjected Mrs. Weasley kindly, "is that the disease is making her act strangely and if she's upset we've all just found it easier to let her settle down on her own dear. It's really for the best." It was then that the Ginny and Mr. Weasley popped their heads in the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

* * *

Hermione had seen it. Seen his eyes widen in fear of her. He knew and she _saw_ it. He was afraid of her. They all were. She had even heard it in the Weasley's voices, so she fled. She didn't know where she was going, but didn't care. She just ran, ran away from the house as fast as she could. She needed to put distance between her and those looks.

Hermione ran until she came to the edge of the nearby forest. Was it just a coincidence or had _it_ willed her to come her. The thick smell of leaves, dirt, and wildlife filled her nose as she inhaled deeply. It invoked a feeling of longing and she closed her eyes entranced by it. Her eyes snapped open and she realized she had been walking through the brush and nearly into the tall trees that loomed just before her. She took a shuddering breath and quickly sat down right where she was, hugging her knees tightly.

She sat their for a while, just focusing on the sounds and smells of the forest. Trying to pick out each individual sent and analyze it to occupy her mind. So it was no surprise that she knew he was coming long before he saw her. His steps were clumsy and loud through the weeds and the heavy sound of his breathing told her that he had been running. For the first time since... For the first time in what felt like forever, she smiled. It was small, but it was there. Harry had come for her. Maybe she wouldn't be as alone as she thought.

She heard him breath out a sigh of relief from directly behind her. 'He's relieved that he found me.' She felt a small spark of warmth in her chest, but it was overwhelmed in a moment by panic. She self-consciously raked her hair into a dense curtain over her face and, in her haste, ruffly tugged the hood of her grey hoodie down farther than it was meant to sit. The back edge of it raised above the line of her jeans pulling her shirt with it.

She stopped breathing completely as she heard his sharp intake of breath. He had seen. Neither dared move for a brief moment, but the raven haired boy finally broke their stalemate. He walked to stand directly beside her and gazed off into the woods. Finally Hermione eased her death grip on her hood and the back of her jacket and shirt slid back to cover the proof of her attack.

He just stood their in silent companionship with her as she regained the ability to breath. She dare not speak, afraid of what might spill out if she did. Hermione was just thankful that he had not abandoned her to her loneliness like the rest of them had. Even the one that could help her the most seemed to be avoiding her. Her old DADA professor had only been to see her twice since it happened. Once to see that she was still alive and once to briefly explain a couple things to her. That was all.

It was just as she felt the beginning bite of anger gnawing at her that Harry sat down next to her. Close to her. His arm pressed against hers softly. She chanced a peek through her thick and messy locks to see his expression. He turned a soft smile on her and she quickly looked away, tugging at her hood again. After a moment she carefully looked over to him again, but this time he kept his eyes forward much to her relief.

After a long moment, she too gazed into the dark forest, listening to the nightly chirp of crickets and the sound of the soft breeze blowing gently through the leaves of the trees. She realized her hands were shaking slightly and took a deep calming breath. Slowly the bushy haired teen leaned into her friend ever so slightly.

Harry must have taken it as some sort of signal because at that moment he raised his arm and hugged her to his side with a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Hermione felt no shame at the flood of tears that followed. She had someone their to comfort and hold her as she finally let it all out. He never lost his gentle reassurance, even as the howl of her beast ripped through her throat. Her best, and maybe only, friend held her until the whimpers died away and the waxing moon hung high in the sky.

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_IVX: I had to write this, it just seized me and wouldn't let go. I am looking forward to this fic. It will be my first non-crossover fanfic, a big thing for me, and I hope you like it as much as I do... ^_~_


	2. The Blame Game

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and all associated aspects of this story belong to JK Rowling and I make no profit from this fanfiction, merely enjoy the act of writing it.

**~ Chapter 2 - The Blame Game ~**

"You have to speak to her. She's lost and you're the only one who can help her!" Harry shouted in frustration.

"I told you that I can't. I just... can't." Remus said in a subdued voice as he turned away from his best friend's son.

"You are being a complete prat, you know that _Moony_." Harry used his old nick name to remind him all the more of why exactly he should listen to his pleas. "I've talked to Hermione, if you can call it talking, and from what I gathered she is terrified. The full moon is almost here and in the entire Month since it happened you have only seen her twice. Twice!"

"I know!" Lupin growled out in grudging agreement. She deserved better than this. Better from him.

"You're the only one that understands what she's going through. She won't tell me what's happening in that brilliant mind of her's, but what ever it is has all but broken our poor sweet Hermione." Harry's anger abated as he spoke and he slowly descended into sorrow for his dear friend. "She barely speaks to anyone and hides every inch of her as if her life depended on it." Green eyes sharpened as he remembered his previous anger. "I have a sneaking suspicion that you know exactly what she's thinking, but I suppose it doesn't matter to you. After all, she's falling apart and your doing nothing!"

"I know. Merlin I know already." The graying man said, desperate for the young man to leave it alone.

"Well if you know all this then what are you still doing standing around here?" The teenager said with reprimand.

"You don't understand Harry, it's... complicated." He tried to reason.

"Bollocks!" Harry yelled, moving around Remus to look him in the face. "You're a good man and it's the right thing to do. There. Simple as pie." He stated, crossing his arms.

"I am not a good man!" Roared Remus viciously. "It's my fault she's like this, alright!" Harry looked gob-smacked that the usually gentle man had finally snapped at him. Remus saw the expression on the younger man's face and ran a hand through his greying locks. After a moment of tense silence Remus turned away and spoke quietly. "Please just go."

Harry made is way to the fireplace in a subdued manner. He reached into a pot on the mantle and pulled out enough floo powder for his trip. Before he left, however, he made sure to express that he hadn't given up yet. "You are a good man Moony. My father knew it, Sirius knew it, and... so do I. I believe you'll do the right thing." He prepared to throw the greenish powder into the flames, but tossed one more comment over his shoulder. "For Hermione's sake, don't prove me wrong." With that said he made a quick exit into green flames.

The moment Harry left, Remus lashed out at his own possessions. A sweep of an arm broke glass and scattered floo powder across the carpet. A kick sent an old rocking chair smashing into a nearby wall. His fist tore a hole in the wall and broke the door to his bedroom, making it set crookedly on its frame. Finally sating his anger on inanimate object, he groaned and flopped onto an old torn sofa. 'My fault. All my fault.' Was all he could think. All he _had_ thought since it happened.

The werewolf had seen the direct aftermath of his failure. The deep groves that had been savagely carved from her innocent flesh. The impossible amount of blood covering her small frame. The damning teeth marks that sealed her fate and condemned her to a life of hardship and loneliness. His life.

As these all to familiar thoughts crossed his mind he cursed himself for what had to be the millionth time. If only he had been stronger, better, then none of this would have happened. 'If only.' He scoffed at himself. How many times had he contemplated the 'what ifs' and 'if onlys' when he was growing up and what good had it done him? None. It only drove a person to near insanity to focus on things that could have been, but will never be.

These useless obsessions were probably one of the many factors contributing to his former students rapidly decreasing mental health and he was failing her yet again. Harry was right. He was the only person who could relate to her, but he was afraid to face her. Afraid of the hatred he might see in her eyes, the blame. His last visit with her, he was ashamed to admit that he never even looked at her face. The bandages had still been in place at the time, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He mostly stared at his hands as he explained the bare essentials of what she would undergo this hellish first month and then ran off with his tail between his legs. If she hadn't hated him then, she surely must now for abandoning her like he had.

Prying himself from the couch, he went to his window and stared out at his worst enemy. The moon shone brightly as its phase to full was nearly complete. Remus was already feeling the beginnings of illness in his body that indicated his approaching shift. He knew he had to see the bushy haired witch by tomorrow at the latest if he was ever going to speak to her again, but tomorrow it would have to be. Maybe tomorrow would finally be the day he gathered the courage to do what he needed.

* * *

Midnight found Hermione sitting before the fireplace in the family room just gazing into the flames. She had on pajama bottoms, but as usual, she had her hoodie on, it's hood drawn low, and hair in her face just incase anyone decided to come downstairs at this late hour. The sullen teen had her knees drawn to her chest and her arms hugging them. In her right hand she held an envelope loosely. It was that very envelope she was contemplating over as she focussed on the flickering reds, oranges, and yellows of the fire.

Her OWL results had come the night of Harry's arrival, but two days latter and she still had not opened them. She couldn't decide if she could take the let down. Either she did horrid on them and proved herself the idiot she felt she was or she passed with flying colors and she could do nothing with them. She was no longer a regular witch. She wasn't even a true human anymore.

Werewolf, it had seemed like such a distant term. Even having already known one and having a close encounter with his beast, she had still been so ignorant. She had felt sympathetic to his plight, of course, but she just didn't really comprehend what it all meant until the very same future lay before her. All because she had foolishly thought she could make a difference, thought that she could _save_ him.

She closed her eyes for a moment, but the flash of Lupin's horror filled eyes flashed in her mind and her own snapped back open. Her hand fisted the envelope holding her test results into a crumpled mess until she noticed and quickly dropped it. It fell to the floor and she stared down at it accusingly. The small parcel held the future that could have been.

That future should have been hers, damn it! It wasn't fair. She had worked so hard and diligently to get to where she was. Her entire life had been a flurry of text books and never ending study. Her knowledge had save Harry, Ron and Herself more than once in their struggles against the dark lord, but now it would be useless for her own personal gain.

"Is it so selfish of me to want a life after the war was over and done with?" She whispered horsely to herself with a slight growl in her voice. Hermione's mind then wandered to the rest of the people occupying the house with her, sleeping soundly in their beds, and her anger rose again. They would all go on to lead normal and productive lives after Voldemort was defeated and she would be left in the dust. 'Maybe I should bite them and give them a taste of how I feel.' She thought bitterly and in the back of her mind the thought startled her.

Her anger abated as the thought of Harry entered her mind though. He gave her hope. A small and shaky feeling of hope, but some was better than none she supposed. Maybe one day, when she had control over her 'other half' to a reasonable degree, she could have more friends that excepted her, maybe even a family. The image of Remus Lupin flashed through her mind once again and she felt her hope crashing down around her.

The werewolf was twice her age and had yet to find a steady job or family. The reason was obvious. He had yet to find a cure. And that's what it came down to. Until a cure was found for lycanthropy, there was no future for her. In a flash she snatch up the crumpled envelope and ripped it in half and then into quarters. With a violent flick of her wrist, the paper flutter into the fire and she stormed out of the room. She never noticed that one particular piece hadn't quite reached the flames. As its brothers were turned to ash in mere seconds, it lay innocently untouched by the destructive flames.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Severus Snape came to call, carrying with him the potion that would ease the Grander girl's torturous night ahead. He had convinced himself that he had not felt sorry for the girl's plight. It was her reckless Gryffindor attitude and friendship with the werewolf that had gotten her into this mess. It was her own fault and he would not pity her.

At least that's what he had told himself before he saw her...

Being his usual obtrusive and ill tempered self he had stormed up to her room the moment he had set foot from the fireplace. It was bad enough that he had to care after one beast, brewing the blasted man's salvation every month without fail, but to be saddled with making yet another of the very difficult and time consuming potions on top of all his other work for the order? Well, to say he was aggravated would be a severe understatement.

It was in he agitation and impatience that he had not thought to knock before bursting into her room, bubbling chalice in hand and snide remark on his lips. The sight that met his eyes had nearly made him drop his very purpose for being there. Had he had not lead the life he had, he very well might have.

Hermione stood with her back to him, in the middle of the room, preparing to pull on a shirt. The bang of the door startled her into gripping the shirt to her chest in a reflex of modesty. She turned her head to the left and looked back at him with horrified eyes. His own expression was probably one of similar horror. He had only glimpsed her marred flesh for a moment before the girl had let lose a spine tingling growl and threatened to bite him if he didn't leave immediately. That moment was more than enough to see the extensive damage done by the attack.

Large, angry grooves tore across her back in chaotic crisscrossing patterns. Near her left shoulder were the deeply engrained teeth marks of what could only be a wolf's bite and her face... 'My god, her face.' Now Severus had never found the girl attractive, between the age difference and his utter dislike of her know it all attitude, but he knew she had not been ugly. Now though, from the quick glance she had thrown over her shoulder, he knew her chances of ever being thought of as beautiful by a man were slim to none.

There were no potions or spells to fix cursed wounds and werewolf wounds were definitely that. Cursed. Cursed, just as she now was. The proof of her affliction would be forever worn on her face as a badge of shame amongst other wizards and there was nothing his abilities as a potion master could do to change that fact. It was when this realization came to him that he did feel pity for her. She was too young to have to face such demons. To young to have to suffer such an existence and it was all thanks to _him._

After recovering from the shock of what he had seen, he sat the chalice down beside the door. He had a feeling she would not want to speak with him after intruding on the sensitive sight he had stumbled upon. He informed her of the potions location of course, but he took his leave the moment his deed was done.

He descended the stairs rapidly, his robe billowing out in its usual fashion. He spoke with Arthur briefly to ensure they had a proper place prepared for her to wait out the night and then made his way quickly back to the fireplace. He was reaching into the floo pot when the fire roared and the lanky form of one Remus Lupin stepped out from the emerald flames.

* * *

Remus had barely rested at all the previous night. Guilt and self loathing ate at him until he finally gave in and got up in the dark hours of the morning. Before the sun had even peeked over the horizon he had already been pacing before his fireplace in worry. He had hoped that with a good nights rest he would finally get the courage needed to face her again, but neither sleep nor courage had been granted to him. Not that he felt he deserved any form of peace for what his actions had caused, but he wanted to be able to at least rectify one of the many mistakes in his recent past.

He glanced out of the window and saw that at some point in his distracted worrying, the sun had risen and now hung low in the sky. The golden rays fell upon him, but he felt no warmth from the summer sun. Between his own illness and the thought of explaining it to the poor girl, he felt nothing but sickly and cold.

Finally he stopped pacing and held himself straight, gathering the needed powder in one hand. He steeled himself as one would before jumping into an icy cold lake and threw the powder into the flames while stating his destination. The minute he stepped into the family room at the Burrow, he came face to face with a hooked nose and a cold glare.

The greasy man sneered as Remus stepped around him to allow access to the floo network. Snape did not make a move to leave right away and instead continued to glare. "Uh, hello Severus. How did you know I'd be coming here?" He questioned to break the oppressive silence.

"I wasn't here for you... mongrel." He said venomously.

Remus was taken aback at his tone and then what he had implied registered in the former professor's mind. 'Hermione.' "Oh, I see." He said, casting his eyes down in shame.

Severus stared at him in obvious distain, looking for all the world like he couldn't decide between cursing him or throttling him with his own two hands. "I hope you're happy with yourself." He started in sarcasm as he folded his arms. "How does it feel to no longer be the only _furry_ one in your little group of friends, hmmm? Does it relieve you, make you feel better about yourself."

Remus didn't even bother denying the claims. In his opinion he deserved every bit of the tongue lashing he got, but apparently another felt differently. It was Molly who stepped in to save him from the dark man.

"That is Quite enough Severus!" Molly's high pitched reprimand tore through Snape's lower voice and overpowered it. The potion master's sneer turned on her, but she just continued unfazed. "Thank you for bring Hermione's potion now if you could be so kind as to bring Remus's here as well I'm sure he would appreciate it. he must have allot to talk about with the girl before tonight so he'll most likely be here for a while. Am I right dear?" She turned the last question to Remus with a smile and all he could do was nod in agreement.

"I'm sure." Severus's lips pursed as he threw one last disdainful look at the both of them and flooed away.

Molly came up and patted the sickly man's arm in a show of comfort. "Don't mind him Remus, you know it's just his dislike for you talking. None of us believe what happened to Hermione was your fault." She gave him a small smile and another reassuring pat on the arm before leaving him to collect himself.

Remus just kept his eyes glued to the floor, but after the matron returned to her breakfast with the others he whispered his true feelings to the empty living room. "But you should, all of you should." He glanced to the nearby fireplace as the thought of fleeing passed briefly through his mind, but he quickly disregarded it. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head curiously as something near the hearth caught his attention. He bent down and reached out toward the torn parchment paper.

* * *

_IVX: What happened nearly a month ago? Do you think Remus is right to feel guilty for Hermione's curse? What is the true extent of the damage done by the incident, both physically and mentally? Thoughts, comments, ideas? I'd love to hear them in your wonderful reviews. Hope you like it so far... ^_~_


	3. Reassurance

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and all associated aspects of this story belong to JK Rowling and I make no profit from this fanfiction, merely enjoy the act of writing it.

**~ Chapter 3 - Reassurance ~**

Remus hadn't made it three steps up the stairs before his sensitive hearing picked up the soft sobs coming from the top most room. Each of her ragged breath tugged at his heart heart strings and every step felt heavier than the next. Harry hadn't been exaggerating when he said that the poor girl was falling apart and the realization of how far he let her fall finally hit him. She needed him, no matter how guilty he felt or how innocent the others found him. Hermione's well being was what really mattered at the moment.

Another exceptionally bright witch entered his mind then, one with green eyes and red hair. Lilly had been there for him when no one else had. She was uncommonly kind and she chose to be friends with him, even after knowing of his condition. She made him see the good in himself when nobody else, including him, had. That's what Remus needed to do for Hermione right now. 'Lilly, please give me the strength to be more like you.' He silently prayed.

Suddenly his steps didn't feel so heavy and his mind didn't seem as muddled. His new found resolve cleared his vision and focused his determination. He couldn't allow himself the privilege of wallowing in self pity and guilt. There was a young woman suffering at the top of these stairs and what she need right now was a mentor. Some one to show her that there is always hope and that she was not alone in this. She needed him to be her rock, her strength. That's exactly what he would be for her no matter what.

When the shabbily dressed wizard made it to the top of the stairs he immediately noticed the still full goblet of wolfsbane potion sitting just outside of the bedroom door. The smell was one that he would not soon forget. Remus let out a sigh as he approached the room. Maybe Severus had been so mad because she had yelled at him or, perhaps, had refused the potion that he had gone out of his way to make for her. Either way, he would need to get her to drink it.

He quietly made his way to the door and knocked softly. The half whining, half sobbing halted immediately and turned into a low rumble. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. Her wolf was so close to the surface because of her troubled emotions and if he was to have a rational conversation with her, she would need to be a bit calmer. 'What exactly did Severus say to her to put her in such a state.' He wondered, but then he realized he had yet to receive a verbal reply from the girl.

"Hermione?" He called out softly. "It's Remus, would you mind if I joined you?" To his disappointment the rumble increased into a full blown growl and he felt his heart break just a little more. He swallowed his sorrow though. She needed him to be strong for her.

He used the calm and understanding voice he had adopted when speaking with students as he called out to her again. "Hermione, I can understand if you're angry with me, and you have every right to be, but please let me help you."

Hermione let our a rough laugh heavy with disbelief and resentment. When she spoke her voice was horse and gravely from the new sounds it stained to make. "Yeah, I suppose the others sent for you because their to afraid to talk to me themselves. Think I'll go mad and turn them."

"Hermione, that's not true." He started, but her yell cut him off.

"Don't **Lie** to me _Professor. _I'm not an idiot. I know how they feel about me." She gave another bark of a laugh that sounded closer to a snarl. "You've only talked to me one other time. When I started acting like an animal. They were scared then and their scared now. I can here them talk when they think they are being secretive. I can hear _everything._ But then, you already knew that didn't you."

Lupin should have expected it, but he had honestly been caught off guard by her reaction. Hermione had never been the quiet type honestly, but she had always been smart and reasonable. Even when she had accused him of betraying her in her third year she had sounded more grief stricken. The intense spite that filled her voice now was like a smack in the face. "Hermione..." He began.

"No!" She roared. "Don't try and make me feel better. I haven't needed your help this whole time and I don't want it now!" She screamed.

Remus flinched from the volume of her voice. Then he cringed as he heard the commotion downstairs go quiet because Hermione more than likely heard the difference as well. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard a whimper from the other side of the door followed by more soft sobs.

"I don't need anybody." Came the broken whisper.

Taking a deep breath he grabbed the handle. "That's it. Hermione, I'm coming in whether you like it or not so prepare yourself." He heard her mumble a quick spell and the sound of a lock clicking reached his ears. He waved his hand over the lock using a bit of wandless magic to unlock it again. Before she could repeat her spell he opened the door and stepped in.

Immediately he had to duck as her heard "Stupefy". He looked incredulously in the direction the curse had come from. What his met his eyes nearly broke his resolve, nearly. On the ground next to her bed Hermione crouched low, peering at him hatefully through long bedraggled curls. Her wand was trained on him dangerously and a rumble echoed from deep within her chest.

Lupin put his hands up in a peaceful manner and waited until she finally lowered her wand before moving again. Once she had replaced her wand in her sleeve, he slowly closed the door and then sank down the wall to sit beside it. "Oh Hermione." He said trying, but failing, at keeping the sadness from his voice. "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner."

Snapping out of her angry haze she quickly turned away from him and pulled her hood over her face. When she spoke again it was less angry, but not really anymore calm. What little bit of anger that had dissipated was replaced by grief. "Please don't." She whimpered. "I'm fine. Just go away, please."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He stated, regaining his calm.

"Why?" She hissed. "You weren't hear at all when I wanted you and now that I just want you to leave me alone you finally take an interest? Your such a... such a..."

"Prat?" He filled in with a humorless laugh. "Yes, Harry already told me as much and I'm ashamed to admit that he was right."

"Harry?" She whispered brokenly. "He talked to you." Her voice became bitter again, feeling betrayed. "I knew it, they did send for you, but I thought that Harry..."

"Stop right their Hermione. I know what your thinking and it isn't how it looks." He saw her peer over her shoulder at him and though he could barely see her eyes, he could _feel _the glare she sent him. His shoulder sagged. She needed proof and she needed understanding. "You feel like they all fear you," he started softly, "and if the people you thought of as friends are afraid of you, then you think that everyone else will be too. No one will ever want to be close to the monster you are becoming and you're starting to think that that's how it should be. You're becoming scared of yourself and you worry that you might actually live up to their fears." He paused as he searched for the right words. He smiled very slightly when they came to him. "I once said that you were the brightest witch of your generation that I had ever met and I meant it. Now put that brilliant mind of yours to work and see the truth. They are not afraid _of_ you, they are afraid _for_ you." He reasoned gently.

Hermione by this time had turned her head away from him again and now sat facing her back to him. They must have sat there for a good ten minutes and Remus began to wonder if perhaps she was just going to ignore him now. Just as he went to stand and leave she finally spoke. "Maybe..." She said in an unsure voice. "You might be right or you might be lying to make me feel better, but..." Remus held his breath as she paused. "Thank you... either way." She slowly unfurled from her crouched position on the floor only to hunch over again while sitting on her bed, hugging her knees.

The older werewolf stood as he had intended to before she spoke, but instead of leaving he made his way over towards her. He paused for a brief moment as he thought of how inappropriate it would be to sit on the bed with her. As the situation was, he would just have to get over it. He did sit down, but made sure to give her enough space. Since she was near the pillows, he sat at the foot of the bed.

Remus was yet again searching for the right set of words when Hermione, much to his relief, finally asked something to get the conversation rolling. "Do you really still think I'm the brightest witch of my generation?"

He smiled reassuringly at her, which she responded to by tugging her hood down further, but he ignored the action for now. "Of course I do."

She turned her shadowed face away from him and rested the side of her head on her knees. "How can you still say that when I got myself into this horrible, horrible mess?" She mumbled.

A look of utter disbelief passed over Lupin's features. He had believed whole heartedly that she would come to blame him for her situation, but she had surprised him yet again. She was blaming herself and he just couldn't let that happen. "Hermione," he said sternly, "if anyone is to blame here, it's me. It was my failure that made you come after me."

She hugged her knees a little tighter. "Don't say that." She pleaded. "Let me have the blame. I need it."

"I can't. You were only being a good friend to a foolish old man."

"But if you take the blame then I know you'll beat yourself up about it and I'll feel even worse." She whined.

Remus shook his head. Leave it to Hermione to think of something like that. "It's a little late for that." He said softly.

"What?" She questioned as she turned her hidden face back towards him.

"Why do you think I've been absent Hermione?" He continued before she could respond to the rhetorical question. "I felt guilty for what happened to you and, in cowardice, I hid from you. I'm not proud of my actions, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive me..." He trailed off, finally losing his fragilely constructed confidence.

"Oh, Professor, of course I can." She said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Please don't be to hard on yourself."

"Look at me. I come to comfort you and here you are comforting me." He laughed softly. "And please, call me Remus. I'm no longer your teacher and I think were are way passed the need for formalities."

He thought he could almost make out a small smile through her thick locks as she spoke again. "Of course... Remus."

"Thank you Hermione, for everything." He said sadly and just like that the light mood faded. The room felt sullen again and he struggled to find a way to rectify the situation. He looked over at the recently turned shewolf beside him and observed her. She was resting her chin on her knees now, but her hair and hood still covered her quite well.

The last of the marauders frowned at this. She was hiding herself from the world and, in all likeliness, from herself as well. It was important that he not allow her to go down the road of self loathing. The farther down that path you went, the harder it was to come back from. Something he knew all to well. Steeling his courage for the umpteenth time that day, he spoke his concern. "Hermione?"

"Yeah?" Her head tilted slightly, indicating she was looking at him.

"I don't want to pressure you into talking about something before your ready to deal with it, but..."

"The full moon is tonight and we have a lot to discuss, right?" She finished for him.

Remus's mood lightened slightly again. 'Ever the observant one. Maybe she hasn't lost as much of herself as I feared.' He smiled. "Yeah, something like that."

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked, once again looking straight ahead.

"Well, I was wondering..." He stopped himself, he shouldn't start off with probably one of the more sensitive subjects. He asked the first thing that popped into his mind, trying to lighten the mood before delving into that topic. "I was wondering what you said to Professor Snape to get him so riled up. He was in quite a huff when he left." He figured since the trio held no love for the potions professor that she would enjoy knowing she had upset him for whatever he had done to upset her.

The minute the question left his mouth he regretted it though. He saw her body go rigid and heard her suck in a breath. 'Damn it Remus!' He scolded himself. "Um, never mind. It's none of my business." He rectified.

"No," came her quiet response, "I suppose I should talk to someone about it. Who better than you, right?" She scoffed. "I can't go breaking down into hysterics every time." She was speaking more to herself now.

Remus smartly kept the dumbfounded 'Huh?' to himself and opted for a better response. "Hermione, would you care to share with me what happened?"

"Huh?" She looked as if she had forgotten he was in the room with her. "Uh, right. There isn't much to say really. It's just that... well... Snape walkedinonmewhileIwaschanging." She rushed out.

It took a moment to comprehend the jumbled words, but when it caught up to him what had happened, his first response was anger. His brows lowered and he fought the urge to growl with much practiced ease. 'How dare he do something like that!' Then another thought came to mind and the urge to smack himself in the forehead with a big resounding 'duh' was tempting. She wasn't mad about him seeing her dressing. She was devastated that he had probably seen what she obviously fought hard to hide.

Only a couple of people knew the true extent of the injuries inflicted on her during the attack and Remus was one of them. Though he had seen them while they were still fresh. He doubted anyone, well except Severus apparently, knew what they looked like now. Apparently he had hit upon the topic he had resolved to leave for later. "I... see." He said to buy himself some time to think of a question that didn't sound to intrusive. "How much... uh, how much did he see."

He saw her tighten her arms around her legs again. "M-my b-back and part of m-my face." It sounded painful for her to speak about it.

"Do you?" He started, "I mean, have you looked at it yourself yet?" He said delicately. She merely shook her head no, probably not trusting her voice at the moment. "Ah." He stated quietly. The older werewolf gave her a minute to calm down from the revelation before he gave her his advise. He made sure to keep his voice understanding, but confident as he spoke. "Listen, I know it isn't an easy thing to deal with and that you would more than likely never like to find out, but you really need... to look for yourself." She shook her head in the negative quickly. Remus sighed and moved closer to her in hopes to give her comfort. "I understand, trust me, I understand. But the longer you ignore the truth, the longer before you can move on. If you ever want to get back to a sense of some normalcy you have to accept what has happened."

He watched as her shoulders began to shake in silent crying. He reached an unsteady hand out, pausing just before touching her, and then finally placing a kind hand on her shoulder. It was her turn to be comforted and he couldn't let his awkwardness at the situation keep her from what she needed right now. "Hermione, look at me." Again she declined with a shake of her hooded head. "Hermione, please. You have nothing to fear from me, I promise."

The girl's hands reach into her unruly locks and she rubbed at her eyes. After taking a shaky breath she moved to face him, but kept her head tilted down. "What if I don't want to see?" Came her roughly whispered question.

Remus reached out and gently grasped her chin through her hair. He slowly tilted her head up to look at him. The light from the window filtered though the warm colored curls and he caught the outline of her eyes, mouth, nose, and... the scars. Despite the feelings of guilt that once again arose within him, he put on a brave smile and tried to coax her out of her shell as best he could. "You are a strong witch and a brave woman. I know that better than most now and I am telling you that you can do this. You will overcome it." He released her chin, now sure that she wouldn't turn away again.

He could barely make out her teeth worrying her bottom lip before she before she ever so quietly breathed out, "ok."

Remus reached out to slip her hood down, but paused just before grasping it, waiting for confirmation that he could. She nodded in acquiescence and his fingers brushed the edge of the grey material. Suddenly a loud knock sounded from the door causing Hermione to jump and quickly curl back into herself. Remus cursed mentally as he heard Severus's voice drifting through the door, complaining about the still un-drunk potion. If it weren't for the reason he had come Remus probably would have chewed the man out, but as it were they both owed them their thanks for the wolfsbane. No matter how much trouble he had caused either of them today.

* * *

_IVX: That's all for today folks. ^.^ Don't beat me! I have to be able to write the next chapter. Aptly named "Shift" if you get my drift... ^_~_


	4. Shift

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associated aspects of this story belong to JK Rowling and I make no profit from this fanfiction, merely enjoy the act of writing it.

**~ Chapter 4 - Shift ~**

*_One month previous_

Hermione had been staying at the Burrow for a few days now and even though she had the same old sense of home sickness that she got at the beginning of every year away from her parents, she was still glad to be surrounded by magic again. It was amazing how much magic was a part of her now, having not even known of its existence for nearly half her life. In some ways it was even more special for her to see the Weasley's home as a short term resident than to be in the majestic halls of Hogwarts as a student of magic.

She had just been wandering through the house, looking at the everyday magic devices used in an average wizarding family's home. Her intellectual hunger was eager to soak up every new little treasure she found. She truly was a part of the wizarding world now and she wanted to know all the in's and out's of a magical household for when she one day had her own house and family. A small smile graced her lips as she passed a family photo, charmed to repetitive motions of course. Everyone was much younger and Molly was cuddling an infant Ginny to her arms, smiling brightly down at the baby. 'I wonder if my family will be full of red headed children?' She wondered having been thinking of her crush. Realizing exactly what she though a moment later, she blushed and quickly moved away from the picture of the large and happy family.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Hermione knew the moment she heard the hushed voices in the next room that she shouldn't be eavesdropping. After so many 'adventures' with the boys it was almost second nature to her now though. So it was in this way that the bushy haired witch got to hear one of the order meetings that she had so wanted to be a part of. Well, ok, it wasn't quite a full blown meeting, but a mission none the less. Much to her luck the group had not put up a silencing charm, thinking all the teens were outside playing quidditch right now.

The things she heard made her pale with fear and concern. Aprently her ex-professor, Lupin, had been on his own mission to recruit the various werewolf packs to the light before Voldemort could sink his claws in. Lupin, however, had missed his check in and the full moon was fast approaching. Various scenarios of whether he had already been killed, was being held prisoner, or had defected were tossed about. The last one was quickly dismissed and so the small group in the next room decided to hope on the second guess. The problem was that if he were not extracted before the full moon, he could be in danger from being the captive of a hostile, full transformed, pack. If he was seen as a treat, they would take him out.

The full moon was tomorrow so the only possibly safe rescue would be today. Hermione listen as Tonks went over the details. The area they believed the pack to be in was pretty remote, but she was sure they would end up near to the pack when the used they spoon port key she had charmed. The only thing she needed now was a volunteer to go with her.

Order members were in short supply, spread thin as they tried hard to keep the dark at bay. As of right now, the only members able to make the meeting were Tonks, Mundungus, Elphias, Molly and Arthur. Mundungus had pretended to fall asleep, trying to avoid any form of volunteering what so ever. Elphias was a very old wizard who seemed to wheeze more than breath. 'Certainly in no shape to go chasing after werewolves.' Hermione thought grievously. When no one spoke up right away to Tonks's request for a partner in her rescue mission, Hermione felt the urge to jump through the door and volunteer her service to help the tragic man she used to call professor.

Before she actually did act on those feelings, a kindly male voice spoke up. "Seems their's no helping it then. Guess it's a were's the wolf hunt for me." Mr. Weasley tried for a bit of humor to lighten the atmosphere, but it fell flat in light of everyones mood. He just didn't seem to have the flare for jokes that his sons did.

Hermione tuned out Mrs. Weasley's fussing about him going and being safe in favor of thinking over the mission its self. They were going to try an infiltrate werewolf pack territory and possibly steal a prisoner and the only people they were taking was the klutzy Tonks and the kindly Mr. Weasley? 'Are they daft?' Though she cared for them both dearly she had serious doubts about their ability to pull off such a feat. 'But there is no one else to spare at the moment is there?' She thought bitterly. 'If it had beed a captured Harry, the entire order would have rushed in. She couldn't help but wonder if the claims that no one else was available were true or, like Mundungus, no one else wanted to even chance getting involved in affairs with werewolves. 'Forget that one of their own is in danger!' she scoffed.

When she came out of her inner musings she realized the duo were preparing to leave. There was no time to lose as night was fast approaching and if they were in the dark, they would be at a serious disadvantage. She waged a mini war in her brain as she looked through the crack in the door to see Tonks hold the spoon out towards Arthur. 'I have to go with them.' She thought. 'I can help them and boy do they need it.' She bit her lip for a moment, but as the tips of Mr. Weasley's fingers brushed the metal surface of the port key, she lived up to her inner Gryffindor. Just as the activation word was spilling from The pink haired order member's lips, Hermione burst through the door and flung her hand out to grad a hold of the spoon.

oOoOoOoOo

*_Present day_

Hermione tugged absently at a brown lock of hair and stared off into space. She thought back on that one split moment decision that had forever changed her life. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. Remus had told her to stop this kind of thinking. It would end up only worsening her already fragile state of mind, but it wasn't so easy to think on other things. Especially when the sun hung so low in the sky and the full moon was so very near to rising.

It would be the first of many very painful nights that would last her the rest of her life. Oh, she was under no illusions it would be pleasant or even easy for that matter. Not only had she done a very thorough report third year she also had seen the transformation first had. She remembered the sound of cracking bones and unconsciously began tugging more viciously at her hair.

"Whoa there,"

"That's still attached."

Came twin voices from behind her. She startled at the sudden appearance and out of habit, quickly pulled the hood of her jacket down a bit. She must have been pretty distraught to not have sensed them approaching, but then again it was the twins. They were nothing, if not sneaky when they want to be. She felt them take a seat on each side of her on the edge of the porch facing the setting sun.

"You know 'mione, if you'd like a hair cut," Began Fred.

"There are less painful ways of going about it." Ended George.

"I say George!" Said Fred in mock exclamation.

"Yes Fred?"

"What would you say to adding a hair styling section to our shop?" Asked Fred.

"Say, that does sound quite good. Though there is one problem." Came George's reply.

For some reason Hermione had a feeling they had planned this conversation in advance some how, though the fact that the were using the playful tone to speak to one another across her did help distract her for the moment.

"And what would that problem be dearest brother?"

"Why practice of course!" Exclaimed George.

With a soft pat of his hand to his forehead, "How silly of me." Said Fred.

It went eerily quiet between the two suddenly and Hermione had the distinct feeling of being watched. Chancing a glance to her right she immediately startled back a bit at George's close proximity. "So what do you say 'mione?"

"Care to let us cut your hair."

The voice from behind her startled her again and she quickly looked to see Fred equally close as George had been. The proximity of the moon rise was making her jumpy, or was it twitchy.

The twins both leaned back with big grins before she had a chance to process their question and formulate an answer. "Or," Started George.

"We could just turn it red and gold for you." Continued Fred.

"It'd be a nice show of house spirit really." Added george off handedly.

"Perhaps we could make that into a constant for the shop!" Exclaimed George.

"Quite," Fred nodded in agreement. "It'd be a hot commodity durring quidditch season."

"Now how to sell it?" Pondered the other twin with a finger tapping his lip.

"Potion?"

"No. Lotion?"

"Nah... How about..."

The twins looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Candy." The said in tandem. Much to their surprise, the were suddenly in a fierce one armed hug each with a softly laughing/sobbing Hermione between them. They had of course come out to cheer their friend up immediately upon return home from their new joke shop. They had been busy with renovations and were quite offended no one had told them until recently about Hermione. But after a run down from Harry, they had made it their prerogative to arrive before nightfall and try to lift her spirits a bit. Though they had made her laugh, she still sounded like she might be crying as well.

"H...mione... too tight." Choked out Fred dramatically, not really being squeezed quite that hard.

"Ca...can't..." added Gearoge.

"...Laugh." Rasped Fred sounding more pathetic than before.

They both pretended to roll their eyes back and pass out, landing their entire weight on Hermione's smaller form. She laughed just a bit louder as she squeezed them in an even tighter hug. This time the wheezes they let out were true and hermione quickly released them. "Sorry." She added quickly, though not loosing a slightly happy lilt to her voice the laughter had brought on.

"No worries my dear lady." Said George with and overdramatic cough.

"Seems you found a new sort of Weaslys' Wizarding Wheezes." Added Fred with a smirk.

Hermione shook her hooded head at the boys' antics with a hidden smile on her face. "Thank you both." She said, softly.

"Any time." They said in unison.

Hermione was glad they chose to not only act normal around her, but when something of her affliction did come up, ie above average strength, they weren't afraid to poke fun at it. God how she loved the twins right now. It was with regret that she noticed how close the sun was to the horizon now and rose to her feet with aches in her joints. At that moment she heard several foot steps heading her way. She turned her head, peaking through her bangs at the gathering crowd.

Harry was at the lead of the group, followed closely by an awkward looking Ron. Behind them stood Ginny, Arthur, and Molly. Even Tonks had shown up to see her off on the night of her first full moon, being involved in the incident, she knew all about the situation. She was filled with overwhelming gratitude that most of them were all smiling encouragingly at her rather than panicking that she wasn't locked away yet.

Perhaps Remus was right. Maybe they had really just been worried for her and not of her. Though a couple of them did look awkward at the situation they were still here to show her their support and she was flattered beyond words. The only thing that was missing was the very man that had made her see the error in her perspective. His absence made her tilted her head down solemnly.

"Thank you all for coming." She said more subdued than she wanted to. She really had hoped Lupin would change his mind. She would feel a lot more comfortable not going it alone. "I guess it's time then huh?" She murmured as she once again glanced at the sun halfway sunk into the horizon. When she turned back to say goodbye her breath nearly caught in her throat, a sob of joyful relief that didn't quite escape. There, in the now parted crowd of people, stood one Remus Lupin, fellow werewolf. "You came." She breathed out in half gratefulness and half disbelief.

The wizard in question gave her a soft smile. "Of course. How could I refuse." He then moved forward and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Hermione wrapped her arm in his and, with quick good-evenings to their friends, they set off for the recently renovated shed that they would be confined to for the remainder of the night.

oOoOoOoOo

As Remus led Hermione away from the group he couldn't help, but worry about what they might think. A grown man spending the night with a teenage girl. It seemed improper regardless of the circumstances, but Hermione had basically begged him to be there with her for her first transformation. How could he say no to her after letting her down so much already. Maybe he was just worrying to much. They new that this was purely a guardian and mentor roll that he was playing for her and nothing more. Right?

He was just glad that he had made his argument against being there in private. At first he argued that since the first transformation was also the most violent, the wolfsbane potion may not be completely effective and they could end up in a fight of claws and fangs. That had been a bad choice as she had immediately began to panic about possibly hurting her friends if she busted out of the reinforced shack. Something Remus had assured her wouldn't happen. Then he had, admittedly with a blush, reminded her of the fact that any clothes would either have to be removed for or would rip off from the transformation. Hermione had sounded bashful in return, but had not given up on the idea of him watching over her. The girl was obviously frightened to be alone for this and be couldn't blame her.

Arthur followed a few paces behind them. He would be the one to lock them in and hold their wands for them so they would not get damaged. Hermione went in first and Remus turned to shut the door behind them. "Thank you my friend." Remus gave a solemn nod to the Weasley patriarch.

"Nonsense. There is no thanks necessary. Just take good care of our Hermione tonight." Arthur had tried to make it sound lighter than it came out, but with the seriousness of the situation it was no small wonder it came out more solemn than soft.

With one last nod Remus closed the door and heard the locks being moved into place. It wasn't long before he felt the dull thrum of a shielding and silencing charms run through the walls. When he was sure they were secured in he steadied himself before turning and facing a busy Hermione. The sight that met his eyes made him tilt his head in curiosity. The concealed witch was standing precariously on the arm of an old couch, tying one end of a sheet up to the exposed rafters.

He chuckled at the of her trying to tie it just a bit to far out of her reach. "Would you like some help?" He offered.

She dropped her arms and hopped off the couch. "Uh, sure." She said with a sound of embarrassment in her voice.

Remus walked over and took the sheet from her. "What are you trying to do anyways?"

She blushed at the question, though the rise of color to her cheeks went unnoticed behind the thick locks cascading down her face. "Well, I was considering what you said earlier about the..." her cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of red. "the clothes issue."

When it clicked what she meant, Remus could feel the heat of a blush creeping up his neck. He managed to keep it as bay by covering with a chuckle though. "Ah." He lifted his hand in a sweeping motion though the air and, with a bit of wandless magic, the sheet was perfectly taught along the aged wooden beam.

"Thank you." Hermione said softly, but her voice was not demure from embarrassment as he thought at first, but rather curiosity.

"Your welcome." He was about to say he wasn't sure how much it would help for more than before the transformation, but if it would make her feel better then who was he to spoil her only source of momentary comfort.

"I've always wondered about that." Said Hermione quietly, still staring at the hanging sheet.

"Pardon?" asked Remus.

"Oh," she seemed to just realize she had said that last statement out loud. "I was just wondering if, well, even back when you were our professor at Hogwarts, you displayed an uncanny amount of wandless magic. I was just wondering if it had anything to do with the lycanthropy. You use it more than anyone else I know." While engrossed with her thirst for knowledge she had somehow forgotten her need to keep her face completely covered when she looked up at him.

Remus could see her eyes more clearly through the curtains of brown curls, as well as the fierce looking scars, but it was the twinkle in her honey brown orbs that keep his focus. He remembered that look from back in his days as her professor. If was the look she would adopted when she would become engrossed in an interesting new topic or especially difficult question. This was the first time he had seen her look so much like her old self that it startled him into silence for a moment.

Hermione, noticing his silence and then the fact that she could see his face rather clearly made her realize her own face must be slightly uncovered. Taking this into account, she jumped to the wrong conclusion and imagined he must have been startled by the disturbing sight of her disfigured face. She hurriedly turned away and started to furiously comb her locks forward again to hide her shame.

Remus was startled out of his awe at seeing her for herself and the awe was replaced by confusion and then quickly by comprehension. He walked up to her back and reached around her to grab both of her arms. She stiffened under his touch and struggled, but he wouldn't allow it. He pinned her arms to her sides and shushed her quietly when the she wolf began whimpering in distress. "Hermione," He said gently, "Stop. It's ok. I was merely awe stricken to see the true you shinning through with you thirst for knowledge." He kept his tone kind and slowly let go of her arms when he felt the resistance slacken. "Now," He persuaded her to turn back towards him with gentle nudging on her shoulders. "I would dearly like to see that devastatingly brilliant witch shine through again."

Hermione still kept her hooded head hung and refused to look up even if she had replied to his prodding to turn back to him.

Remus sighed. Hermione had never shown him her face earlier that day like he had hoped, losing her nerve after the first interrupted attempt. 'She needs to get over this fear of people seeing her injuries if she is ever going to move forward.' He thought of how he hadn't wanted anyone to look upon his face as a child either. His own scars had lightened considerably over the years, but he had suffered many confidence problems because of them. He didn't want her to lose all of her once strong confidence. That know it all attitude that she once held about her easily, the attitude that gave her trouble in making new friends easily, that attitude was all the more precious to him now that it was missing. Another shock of determination shot through him at that thought and he led her over to the couch.

After he got her to sit with him, he placed a gentle hand on her thigh as he noticed her about to curl up in a ball as she had in her room. The move shocked her into stillness, but after a second the older werewolf realized exactly where his hand was and pulled it back quickly. Remus tried to put the incident behind him as rapidly as possible, so he turned to her fully and tried to continue what they had started that morning. "Hermione." His rich voice seemed to catch her attention and she at least looked up at him now. He would get her to come out of this shell by the time the affect of the full moon caught up to them or his name wasn't Remus John Lupin. He gave her a kind smile. "It's time to let it go." He commanded gently. "No good will come of hiding yourself away like this." He reached a hand up to her hood and started to pull it back, but Hermione's hand reached up to grab his wrist.

She looked up at him through her locks with a fearful yet searching gaze.

"You will not find any reprisal from me. I am not unfamiliar with these sort of things myself." He reassured her with a tap of a finger to his own horizontal face scars.

She finally relented and allowed her hand to drop to her lap. After a shuddering breath she nodded her head form him to continue.

Remus complied and the hood was soon resting on her back limply. He leaned down slightly to come eye to eye with her and brushed back half of the curly locks with his left hand. Her skin was unblemished on this side, escaping the attack of vicious claws. He took a silent, steadying breath as he prepared to pull back the hair on the side of her face he knew to have taken the brunt of the damage. As the locks were pulled back and tucked behind her ear, Lupin made a show of keeping his eyes on hers. He gave her another patented gentle Remus smile before sitting back to take in her appearance fully.

Through much practice, he was able to keep the upturn of his lips in place, but inside his heart was breaking. There were five deeply grooved scars on this side. The first three ran vertically down her face. This first nicked the edge of her mouth and the scar tissue would undoubtedly tug at her lips if she smiled. The second was the longest and largest out of all three and by the looks of things, Hermione was lucky to still have her eye. This menacing scar started half way up her forehead, running down, slightly off center, over her eye then down her cheek and finally ending after curling slightly under her chin. The last of the three was a stuttering line that blemished the skin near her ear by the angle of her jaw. This scar was crossed by a smaller slice that sat diagonally to it. That wound also had a larger brother that tore through the largest of the other three, starting two thirds of the way up her cheek and, unlike the others, continuing at its diagonal across her neck under her ear. Here Remus realized she was lucky yet again. A little deeper and the carotid would probably have been severed.

'Lucky.' He scoffed in his mind. 'Lucky would have been for this not to have happened at all.' He made sure not to let his features harden, afraid she would take it badly and recede into hiding once again. Instead, the elder werewolf reached out and ran his thumb along the line of her jaw, purposely touching a couple of her cursed scars to show her he was not bothered by them. "See, this isn't so bad now is it?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, weather they were tears of grief or gratitude he couldn't tell, but in the span of a second he found himself encased around the middle by the crying girl's arms in a fierce hug. After a second of surprised hesitation he returned the hug gently and let her just cry it out silently into his shirt.

The hug turned into her resting her head on his chest as she calmed and him rubbing small circles on her back in a soothing manner. He remembered his mother doing it to him when he was distraught as a child, morning his own cursed fate into his mother's robes. He suddenly realized, as he felt her shift in her position against his chest, that somewhere in this short span of time he had crossed an imaginary line. If he had found himself in any other situation, with a young woman / ex student, cuddled up to him as he gently soothed her with his hand, he would have been ashamed of himself. Disgusted, really, with his lack of propriety. He was always afraid of how he looked in other's eyes, craving acceptance, and so he was very careful with the image of his behavior.

This situation, however, was very unique. Remus couldn't tell what it was that caused the change, but he was happy he could do this for her. Be her comfort like he had promised himself he would be. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noted that the soft warmth of another persons body pressed up against his own was almost agonizingly wonderful. But his lack of past person to person contact was not what he wanted to focus on while he soothed her. Tonight was for her. That and he didn't want to examine those feelings to closely. It was a young woman, so near to still being a girl, that brought these feelings about after all. So, instead, he focussed on the invisible rounded pattern he was drawing between her shoulder blades.

It wasn't to much longer after those thoughts crossed his mind that he heard a whimper from Hermione and felt the harsh ache of pain shoot through his joints. After the pain passed he savored the feel of her person in contact with him for just a moment longer, not that he'd admit it, but finally patted her shoulder to get her attention. "It's time Hermione." He told her, urging her into a sitting position.

He watched as she took a moment to wipe the remnants of her tears away. When she finally looked up at him it was with pleading. "Do... do I have to..." She couldn't seem to find the words she was searching for.

Remus picked up on what she was getting at. She wanted him to hold her through it, keep her in a feeling of safe protection she must have been feeling in his arms. "Hermione," He started with a regretful tone. He knew the longing to be held through these rough times. "We need to have some distance between us for this. It is already dangerous enough that I have even agreed to be here tonight, not knowing how a first transformation will work with the wolfsbane and all." She looked devastated and the fact that he could actually see her expressions now didn't help put a stopper in the rising feeling of guilt that welled up inside him, misplaced though it may be. "Besides," Lupin amended with a smile, "Your ingenious idea with the sheet would go to waste." He stated with a small tone of tease in his voice.

Her cheeks turned rosy as she realized one of the other reasons they should be separated at the start. "You're right." She resined. "I guess I'm just..." She trailed off as she looked down, seemingly finding her feet very interesting at the moment.

Remus ducked down and to get her attention. "Hey," she looked over to him again and he straightened back up, "It's ok to feel scared. Don't be ashamed." She returned his reassurance with a small smile and Remus absentmindedly noticed he had been correct about the scar tugging the corner of her lip down, but his joy at her smiling overpowered the thought.

"Thank you." She said quietly. She stood and looked at the curtain blankly for a few moments and then turned back to him, seeming to want to say something more.

"I'll be right here when it's through. You won't be aloe this night."

Her brows scrunched as in a look of half gratitude and half want to cry. He saw the moisture return to her eyes, but she managed to hold the tears at bay and gave him another small smile. "Thank you... again." She turned to go through the curtain, but breathed out softly, "...for everything." And with that she went to her own self proclaimed side of the remodeled shed.

Remus just stared at where she had disappeared around the curtain from for a moment, wondering yet again how she could be thankful to him when he was the one who had put her in this situation to begin with. He was brought out of his musings as another wave of painful ache shot through his bones. He grunted at the unpleasant feeling and popped his neck to relieve the pain temporarily. Realizing how close the moon must be to affecting him, he reached his hands up and began unbuttoning his shirt.

oOoOoOoOo

_IVX: Ooooh, you guys thought shift would mean you get to see them transform? Oops, my bad. I meant a shift in people's outlooks. You know, Hermione's outlook on how the others feel and Remus's feelings of propriety at holding her in his arms and all that good what not. ;;;looks at angry readers and gulps;;; uh... bies...heh ;;;runs away laughing maniacally;;; ...^_~_


	5. Awaken

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associated aspects of this story belong to JK Rowling and I make no profit from this fanfiction, merely enjoy the act of writing it.

**~ Chapter 5 - Awaken ~**

Waking up after a transformation is a very disconcerting thing. The first thing you realize is that you are in pain. The next is that you don't remember falling asleep where you wake up. Then, when you are in pain and confused, you try to remember what led up to your unpleasant situation. The process is much faster for Remus after having repeating it month after month for most of his long suffering life, but it never quite goes away.

Upon awakening this time, however, the pain and confusion were not the only things that immediately registered to him. Pressed against his body was something warm and soft. The recently transformed werewolf's muddled brain worked out the detail that he must be waking up after a transformation, but he had no idea what the new sensation meant. As he lay there trying to bring the world into focus, he realized that this was probably the most pleasant awakening he had ever had after a full moon. It was still painful, but the addition of a warm body to curl against was a welcoming comfort that he would just as soon have every time rather than the cold and loneliness that usually accompanied such times.

It was as he buried his face into soft curls that the implications of those thoughts hit him. His eyes widened and he jumped away from the body. He landed against the couch and dare not look in the direction he came from. 'A body...' his mind focused on the one fact that he had always feared would happen. To wake up after a full moon next to a body.

His hand shook as he brought it up to his face for inspection. 'No blood.' He checked his other hand and the rest of his body. 'No blood..' He swallowed hard in nervous tension before finally licking his lips. 'No blood...' His shoulders sagged in slight relief, but he still couldn't bring himself to look in the direction of the body. Afraid of what he might find.

Remus clenched his eyes shut and tried to work through the previous night. Being in wolf form has a side effect that would usually be a blessing, but today it was a curse. Looking back on the events of your transformation was like looking back on a particularly slippery dream. This is good if you do something horrid to yourself or others while transformed because you at least don't have a vividly clear vision of it in your mind. Of course the Wolfsbane Potion made the memories clearer, but they were still spotty and chaotic. To top it off, the haze of confusion still clung to him in his panic.

The first thing Lupin remembered was the pain of the transformation and the screams of a woman. That certainly wasn't promising and his eyes shot open in fear, automatically going to what had to have been the source of those screams. What met his gaze was the expanse of a cream colored back... one that was disfigured by the claws of a werewolf. His heart nearly gave out at the sight, but the confusion was wearing thin and giving way to logic. 'Those are not new wounds.' He thought to himself and his brows furrowed in confusion.

'So, I spent the night with another werewolf?' It felt right when he thought about it. It was when his eyes finally took in the rest of the scene, including the thick brown curls he had been burying his face in, that the scattered memories came flooding back to him. "Hermione." He breathed out. Flashes of female screams and the sheet tearing down... His own pain... A darkly colored wolf half tangled in the remnants of the sheet and whimpering... There was growling... More whines... and finally lying down next to the other wolf, resting a grey muzzle over her neck. He shook his head to clear the his thoughts.

After having full realization that he had NOT attacked someone, and even more that his companion and him had not attacked each other, he finally allowed his body to sag in relief against the couch. As he ran a hand through his greying locks another realization hit him. He glanced down at his state of undress and then over to the equally naked young woman. His face turned scarlet and he thanked the heavens above that he had been the first to wake.

He tried to stand, but the pain in his body sent a jolt through his nerves. He fell back to his butt with a grunt. Damn his shift, damn it to hell! He crawled over to the torn sheet and threw what was left of it over the sleeping witch. He held his breath a she twitched, but she soon settled back into unconsciousness.

Remus made his way back to the couch and pulled himself up to hit on it. His clothes were resting on the back of it, thankfully untouched. He slowly dressed himself, his fine motor skills were impaired by what his body had been through, but not entirely useless. It was just as he was finishing the painful process of tying his shoe that he felt the wards lower and a knock came from the door. "Come in." He rasped out loud enough to be heard.

oOoOoOoOo

Arthur was unsure of how to go about retrieving the resident pair of werewolves the morning after the full moon. Remus had told him to wait until the moon was long set and the sun hung higher in the sky, but the Weasley patriarch was unsure of what to do once he actually went to retrieve the pair. He had never been around Remus for these times of the month and he was nervous that he might do something wrong.

He made sure to eat slowly and nurse his coffee while reading the entire Daily Prophet. Remus _had_ told him to wait until later in the morning after all. It had nothing to do with his nervousness, nothing at all. It seemed the rest of the residents were nearly as uneasy as him with worry over their friends though. They had of course known of Remus's condition before, but between this being Hermione's first transformation and the fact that the pair were going through it only a short distance from where they all slept, it brought it to the forefront of everyones mind. So, even though Arthur had taken his time, it seemed everyone else was lounging about the kitchen area as well. They were most likely waiting for him to go and check on the pair and confirm that they were ok.

Finally he shook his paper straight and folded it. The action drew all the eyes to him and he tried to act as if he hadn't noticed. "Well, it's getting late." He said glancing out the window. "Suppose I'll go wake Remus and Hermione so they don't sleep the day away." He said nonchalantly. He was trying to act casual about the matter to give the rest of them a gentle reminder that they should as well.

His steps to the modified shed were unhurried and he even paused for a moment by the door before dispelling the charms surrounding it. He had no idea what to expect on the other side of the door so he knocked hesitantly and waited for permission to enter. Hopefully the residents were awake and nothing would be disturbingly wrong.

He heard the sore voice on the other side call out for him to come in and the gravely sound of it nearly made Arthur flinch. He even found himself clearing his throat at just the thought of how the man's own throat must feel with a voice like that. He grasped the handle and gently opened the door. The first thing that came into his line of vision was Remus sitting slouched on the couch. He gave him a pleasant smile as he met his eyes. The, somewhat, composed look of Lupin emboldened the red head and he let himself in, no longer worried about what he might find.

"Where's Hermione?" He asked, but no sooner did the question leave his lips did he see the form on the floor. His smile faded into a look of concern as he kneeled down to see if she was ok. "What's wrong..." He started to ask, but as he rolled her to lay on her back the sheet slipped down a bit and he realized that under the ragged fabric the teen was obviously naked. "Oh my." He turned his gaze away with a blush.

The blood that rose to his cheeks quickly drained away as he heard the low rumble of a growl behind him. His eyes turned in a flash to meet the steely blue eyes with a gold starburst around the middle shinning brilliantly. The angry expression quickly faded from his friend's face and was replaced by one of shame, but the other man made no move to apologize. Instead he looked away, ignoring that it had happened. "Please retrieve Molly. Hermione needs to be dressed and I don't think it would be appropriate for either of us to do it." He stated in a matter of fact tone.

Arthur shook himself out of his stupor and stood. "Uh, right. I'll be back in a moment with her." He left in a hurry and hustled to the house. It wasn't until he was returning with his wife beside him that he realized his hasty exit might have offended his friend, but really, the growl had unnerved and startled him. He couldn't help the moment of panic he had felt. He was calmer now though, so if something similar happened he would be prepared it for the sake of his usually gentle friend.

He knocked again and was again told to come in. The voice just as gravelly as before. Molly gave a sympathetic look before he opened the door. His wife gave a brief good morning to the tired man on the couch before quickly going to check the girl over. Arthur, on the other hand, made his way over to Remus. "Come on my friend, lets get you up to the house." He offered him a hand, but Remus didn't even acknowledge it. The man's dual colored eyes were locked on Hermione.

"You need to leave." Came his ruff voice.

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked not unkindly, just confused.

"You need to go, so that Molly can get her dressed." Stated the older of the werewolves.

It was then that the Weasley matron put her own thoughts to words as she came back over to Hermione with her clothes in hand. "That's what he's planning to do and he's taking you with him." She said as she kneeled next to the unconscious teen.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Molly's eyes snapped up to him heatedly.

To his credit, Remus met the admonishing glare with his own steady gaze. "I said, no, I am not leaving." Again he was matter of fact about it as if there were no reason to be doubted.

"Remus John Lupin!" Came her indignant reply.

Arthur decided it would be a good time to step in and stop any argument with his obviously temperamental friend before it started. "Now now Molly, I'm sure he has a good reason for not wanting to leave." He said kindly and nearly flinched as her heated gaze turned on him. He also blushed slightly at the realization of how his statement could be taken wrongly. Arthur looked to his lycanthropic friend pleadingly.

Remus seemed to come back to himself and snap out of some sort of daze. He even had the decency to blush himself. "Yes, well, if Hermione were to wake while you were dressing her she could lash out in fear and I just felt that if she should awaken, my presence would help to calm her." He stated reasonably. Molly seemed to pale slightly as she looked down to the seemingly peaceful girl before her. Before anymore questions could be asked Remus continued in a more stern voice, all the more forceful by the gruffness of his raw throat. "You however," his eyes were trained on the other male in the room, "have no reason to remain in the room."

"Right," Mumble arthur placatingly, "I'll just... wait outside the door."

As he was leaving he heard Remus tell his wife the he would keep his eyes averted. Molly, finding her usual gumption again, gave a huffy reply that he had better. Arthur merely shook his head lovingly at his wife's attitude. He loved the woman for her fire and he had no doubt that if she were an animagus that her form would be a fierce lioness.

Much to Arthur's relief, there was no sound of trouble while he waited and before he knew it they were calling him in.

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to walk up to the house without help." Announced Remus. "Hermione will also need to be carried up and I would rather we go at the same time. Again, if she wakes up I should be there for her."

It was then that Arthur realized his friend looked like the very definition of fatigued. His slouched posture, the large bags under his eyes, and basically every other little thing about the man screamed **tired**. Arthur felt bad for his friend, not only for the obviously ruff time the man had gone through, but also for not noticing his condition earlier. "Here, let me help you up." Offered Arthur.

"Thank you my friend, but I have a feeling you are the one who will need to carry Hermione, unless Molly believes herself able." He looked expectantly at the witch.

"I could always use magic." She stated.

"I don't think that wise. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but werewolves are hyper sensitive to magic, especially this time of the month. Levicorpus may shock her awake." His voice was growing quieter as he spoke and his fatigue was ever more present. "Again, do you think you can physically carry her?" he all but whispered.

"Uh, no." Conceded Molly. "I don't think I'll be able to carry her very easily, you had better do it dear." She said to Arthur.

"Right." Arthur went over to retrieve Hermione and he nearly gasped in surprise. Now that her face was not tilted to the side, he could see her scars. He felt the sight pull on his heart strings and absently wondered how Molly had kept herself so quiet at the sight. They were hoping the wounds would have healed better by now. He hadn't even heard Molly make a single worried or fretful comment while dressing her. After the moment of shock wore off, the scars also awoke feelings of great gratitude and guilt for the young witch. Had she not snuck her way onto the mission then those scars could just as easily have been his, if he had even made it back at all. He owed this young woman more than he ever thought he could repay. Not for the first time Arthur was overly grateful to one of his son's best friends for saving him.

Arthur gently picked up the sleeping girl, hoping not to wake her. When he looked up from his task he noticed his wife now had Remus's arm draped heavily over her shoulders and was struggling under the pressure of holding him upright. Their short journey to the house was agonizingly slow and every moment that passed Arthur prayed the young woman in his arms would remain asleep. He was not so much afraid for him self as he was concerned that if she woke in his arms and lashed out in fear, he could very well drop her and cause her more pain.

It was with great relief that they finally crossed the threshold of the house. They were immediately surrounded by the other occupants of the house, but Arthur quickly shushed them and motioned with his head to the sleeping form of Hermione in his arms. Thankfully, the left side of her face was pressed against his chest, so there were no extra undo worries or questions.

oOoOoOoOo

Remus had been thoroughly and utterly exhausted by the time they made it all the way up to Hermione's room. He was therefore eternally grateful for the extra bed he found in there. Molly helped him into his assigned bed as Arthur put Hermione in the other. He dearly wanted to stay awake to watch over the young woman and be there fore her when she awoke, but the exertion of the morning was to much for his over strained body. He rarely ever moved this much the morning after the full moon, but this had been a special case. The others had also insist that the pair come back to the house directly after so that they could be more comfortable while they recovered. 'Well' thought remus as his eyes slipped shut. 'I think the shed would have been preferable to all those stairs any day. Perhaps I'll just bring her to my house... for the next... full moon.' As he drifted off to sleep he didn't even realize he had already been planning to accompany her on their next transformation even though no one had begged or even asked him to.

_Remus was absolutely, completely, and with out a doubt, miserable. He was tired, dirty, hungry, and hurt. Not much more the pack could do to him now, other than take his life that is. That was seeming ever more relevant with each night that past and Remus was just about resigned to that death now. His only regret was that his life would end so pointlessly. The pack had not been swayed to the light and, even worse, were now in league with the dark lord. _

_He was under no illusion that someone from the order would come to save him. Sure he had missed his check in, but he doubted anyone would be willing to storm into a lycan strong hold for anyone short of Dumbledore or Harry. With his wand gone, his body broken, and his hopes so completely decimated, Remus was doing little more than waiting for his execution at this point. But oh! if only his life didn't have to be destroyed by that unholy bastard that turned him. No matter, he would save his strength and at least try for one good shot before Fenrir and his pack tore him to pieces. _

_A small smirk appeared on his face as he lay chained to the ground, staring up at the sky. Remus knew he didn't have enough energy to escape, but he would go down swinging, hopefully taking a chuck out of the grizzly arse hole. Resigned to his fate, the werewolf just lay there in the dirt watching the late afternoon clouds float by in soft pastels. He would not spend his last bit of time on this earth staring at the two ugly mugs of his guards._

"_Stupefy!" Came a feminine shout._

"_Petrificus Totalus!" A male voice._

"_Incarcerous, Incarcerous." A third voice._

_Remus almost didn't want to look, afraid what he was hearing wasn't true, but he couldn't help himself. They _had_ come for him! He was being rescued, thank Merlin! His rescuers, though the oddest team, were the most beautiful sigh he had ever seen. If he had the strength he would have sobbed in relief, but the burning of his dry eyes was all he could manage._

"_You came." He rasped out with his parched throat. _

_Hermione threw herself down next to him quickly, taking the large lock on his chains in hand. She spared him a sincere smile. "Of course, you didn't think your friends would just abandon you did you?" She pointed her wand at the lock. "Alohomora." She said and then frowned when it didn't work. She bit her lip for a moment._

"_The lock's warded." Came Remus's weak voice._

"_We have to go before the others come back." Rushed Tonks._

"_I know, hold on a second." Hermione huffed. She then turned her attention back to the chain and lock in her hand. "Oh! Evanesco." She stated with a flick of her wand and the chain, lock and all, vanished. "It was so obvious." The teen held her hand out to her ex-professor and he took it gratefully. _

_Seeing Hermione struggle to help the man up, Arthur went to help as well. He slung one arm over his shoulder and another over Tonk's, who had also moved to help. "Wotcher Remus." Tonks flashed him a smile before they began helping him walk out of the camp as fast as possible. Hermione followed behind, keeping their rear guarded. "We have to get a move on. We have to make it out of the anti-apparition wards so we can get out of here." Urged Tonks._

"_How many are there?" Came Arthur's voice from beside him._

"_Nine." Replied Remus._

"_We took out two so there are still seven out there. Be careful and keep a sharp eye out." Arthur said quietly. Tonks and Hermione nodded in reply._

"_Greyback is here," Remus coughed a bit before he could continue, "Him and his favorite disciple are the ones who turned the pack against me." He started another coughing fit._

"_It's ok Remus, save your voice, we've got you now and were not gonna let anything happen to you." Arthur comforted._

_Tonks was excited and anxious as the group was nearing their destination. "Almost there now." _

_Arthur sighed in relief as they passed the wards preventing them from apparating home. "Side along?" He questioned. _

"_I'll take point." Said Tonks, planning on being the one to pull them along. She turned to grab Hermione's hand, but she had fallen back from them quite a bit while keeping the rear guard. In fact she was quite a distance back and not even moving, peering into the darkening forest. "Hermione!" _

_The girl snapped out of what ever she was doing and turned to them with horror filled eyes. "I think they found us!" She yelled as she began running to them. Her concern was confirmed by a dark chuckle that filled the area._

_Tonks held out a hand at the very edge of the magical boundary. "Hurry."_

_Remus watched it as if it were slow motion. Hermione was running for them as fast as she could, but her eyes widened at something behind them. She raised her wand at them even as she was being rushed from the side by none other than Fenrir himself. He heard the rustle of brush behind them and his sight followed her stupefy as it rocketed past his face and slammed into the chest of the werewolf trying to attack them from behind. As he turned his gaze back to Hermione in a split second, he realized she had chosen to save them and hadn't had time to defend herself. _

_Fenrir's Body slammed into hers, just missed by Tonk's spell, and the impact sent her wand flying from Hermione's hand. It was then that the remaining five werewolves made themselves known and attacked, but all Remus could see were Hermione's terrified eyes staring directly at him as she was dragged away by the most frightening werewolf out there. A second later he was spinning and then landing on the floor of the burrow. "Nooo!" He shouted in horror._

Remus was startled out of his sleep by a loud cry of fear that seemed to overlap his dreams own. His eyes quickly turned to Hermione's bed. She was looking around frightened and appearing completely confused. The older werewolf slowly sat up, the movement drawing the frightened amber/brown eyes of the teen. She suddenly pressed herself into the corner her bed rested against.

"Calm down Hermione." Remus spoke in a low, quiet tone. "You are safe here."

Her eyes were wild and she looked ready to lash out if anything were to approach her, but his words seemed to have sparked her intellect through her haze of confusion. It was only a few moments later that tears were leaking from her eyes and she spoke in a painful rasp. "Remus?"

"That's right. I'm here and we are safe." He reassured again.

She was now rocking her self back and forth as she gripped her hair. "It hurts so much." She whimpered. "And these memories... to much... to confusing."

The fact that she was speaking even somewhat coherently was a good thing, it meant she had a strong mind and had a good chance at fighting off the madness that sometimes accompanied lycanthropy. The revelation had him feeling somewhat relieved, but he couldn't exactly feel light hearted in this situation. Hermione was whimpering and crying just a few feet away.

"Why does it have to hurt so much? Make it stop, please, please, please make it stop..." She pleaded as if some other worldly power would realize their mistake and take away the wrongly inflicted pain with her pleas.

Remus flexed his legs and they felt a bit stronger now. 'She has her mind now so I doubt she'll lash out.' He thought to himself as he swung his legs over the edge of his own bed and placed them on the floor. He carefully stood and was relieved to see that his muscle fatigue and the pain was dimming. His steps were slow so that she would hear him coming. No need to stomp though because with the way she was flinching with each impact they probably sounded like mini explosions to her abused, hyper sensitive ears.

His weight caused the mattress to dip slightly and the springs to squeak as he lowered himself onto her bed. As soon as he was settled he had a sobbing Hermione twisting her fists in his shirt. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" She begged. "How can you do it... every month... like nothing... not fair." She was rambling as she buried her head against his chest.

He positioned them more comfortably, so that his back was against the wall and he was easily supporting her in his arms. "It gets easier." He promised her soothingly, but the harsh rasp of his own voice was not as reassuring as he would have hoped and she merely sobbed harder.

He sat there holding her in his arms tenderly as she repeated the same mantra over and over, 'not fair,' until she finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, to exhausted from the exertion of crying to remain conscious any longer. As he sat there with her pressed against him, petting her hair, he to fell back to sleep wanting nothing more than to escape both of their situations for for as long as his dreams would permit. God willing, his sleep would be blissfully dreamless.

oOoOoOoOo

_IVX: So do you think you have a better idea of what happened to Hermione yet? I did enjoy your previous guesses and would love to hear more, just remember there is still part of the story to be uncovered...^_~_


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